T20 World Cup 2026: ‘I’ve been keeping an eye on him’ – R Ashwin names Scotland all-rounder as player to watch out for in marquee event

The legendary Ravichandran Ashwin picked Scotland all-rounder Brandon McMullen as the player to watch out for in the impending T20 World Cup. The global extravaganza gets underway on Saturday, February 7, featuring 20 teams.

Scotland received a last-minute entry after the ICC removed Bangladesh from the tournament following the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s unwavering stance of not playing matches in India, citing security concerns. The Scots are placed in Group C alongside the West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal.

Ashwin opined that Scotland are a good team despite a few problems in the bowling department. He spoke about some players who have the potential to impress the cricket fraternity.

“I think Scotland are a good T20 team. They have some ability in the bowling. but their bowling attack is a bit restrictive, not really the kind that takes a lot of wickets. But they’ve got classy batters, Rich Barrington is there, really experienced guy who’s the captain. Matthew Cross can really, really, really set the tone for them. Michael Jones is a classy player who plays really strong. He’s someone you can definitely expect classy strokes from,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.

Ashwin said he has been keeping an eye on Scottish all-rounder McMullen ever since he scored a memorable half-century against Australia in the previous T20 World Cup.

“Then you’ve got Brandon McMullen. Brandon McMullen played in the last World Cup and in the Australia vs Scotland game, he scored a brilliant 50. And ever since, he’s been one of the key players. I’ve been keeping an eye on him. He’s a player to watch out for me,” Ashwin noted.

Scotland played their first warm-up game ahead of the T20 World Cup on Monday, February 2. They lost to Afghanistan by 61 runs at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru. They will play another warm-up game against Namibia on Wednesday, January 4. The Richie Berrington-led side will start the tournament with a clash against the West Indies at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.